Born and raised in the suburban town of Glen Ridge, NJ, Dana T. Hughes graduated from high school there with the fateful class of 1941. Following a short stint as a stock transfer clerk with the Texaco Company in New York City, Hughes enlisted in the US Marine Corps immediately following the sneak Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.
He spent the next four years immersed in the rigors of Marine boot camp, advanced combat training and shipment across the Pacific in mid-‘42 . . . followed by three combat campaigns, all in the Solomon Islands.
Having been awarded the Navy/Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation and three campaign stars, among other decorations, he was discharged as a Corporal in early October, 1945. Taking advantage of the GI Bill, Hughes immediately enrolled in Lafayette College, graduating with an economics degree in February, 1949.
After a short period as a personnel assistant, he soon became entranced with the, then, new business field of public relations. He spent the next 50 years practicing as a top PR executive in such diverse cities as Schenectady and Rochester, NY; Pittsburgh; Atlanta and two stints in Philadelphia, before moving to Boston in 1981. There, Hughes and his wife, Marie, opened their own public relations firm in 1986, which they operated successfully until deciding to retire by early 1991.
In mid-1992, the couple bought a house in the small Pinelands retirement community of Whiting, NJ, where they are still enjoying a happy and productive retired life.
The Old Breed
A Combat Marine's Odyssey Through WWII 1941-1945
by Dana T. Hughes, Corporal, USMCR (ret.)
The Old Breed
A Combat Marine's Odyssey Through WWII 1941-1945
by Dana T. Hughes, Corporal, USMCR (ret.)
Published May 07, 2008
400 Pages
7.5 x 9.25 Black & White Paperback
Genre: HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / World War II / General